To: 
The Honourable Minister of Education
Dr.Morufu Olatunji Alausa
Federal Ministry of Education
Block 5A, Federal Secretariat Complex
Shehu Shagari Way, Central Area
P.M.B. 146, Garki
Abuja, Nigeria

Your Excellency,

I write as the founder of the African Indigenous Language Film Festival (AILFF) and as a concerned Nigerian deeply committed to both our educational development and cultural heritage. It has come to my attention that there is a reported reversal of the Mother-Tongue Education Policy. I believe this decision threatens not only the cultural dignity of our people but also the academic growth and intellectual future of our children.

Why Mother-Tongue Instruction Matters — Evidence from Nigeria

This is not a matter of theory—it is grounded in rigorous, homegrown research. The Ife Six-Year Primary Project (1970–1978), led by the late Professor Aliu Babatunde Fafunwa—Nigeria’s first Professor of Education and a former Minister of Education—provides our strongest evidence. In this eight-year study, children who were taught exclusively in Yoruba during their primary education significantly outperformed those taught in a system that switched to English early. This was true in every subject, including English itself.

These results are empirical, well-documented, and internationally respected. They demonstrate that a foundation in one’s mother tongue does not hinder but rather strengthens academic learning.

Implications of Reversing the Policy
Ignoring a Proven Nigerian Model
The Ife Project was not a pilot—it was a long-term, validated success. Reversing the policy disregards a model developed in Nigeria that works best for Nigerian children.

Deepening Educational Confusion
When children are forced to learn in a language they do not yet understand, they are more likely to memorize words without comprehension. As Fafunwa observed, such a situation causes “epistemological disorientation”. This is not just theoretical: it plays out in our literacy and educational statistics.

Undermining Cultural Identity
Language is more than communication—it is identity, worldview, and memory. Marginalizing indigenous languages at the earliest stages of education sends a message that our heritage is less valuable, weakening cultural confidence for future generations.

Going Against Global Best Practices
UNESCO strongly supports mother-tongue instruction. In fact, it cites models such as the Ife Project as evidence that education in a child’s first language is essential for learning, retention, and long-term success. Reversing the policy puts Nigeria in opposition to established international wisdom.

A Respectful and Evidence-Based Appeal
This is not a call for untested experiments. Rather, it is a plea to recommit to an approach we know works:

Immediately rescind the reported reversal of the Mother-Tongue Education Policy.
Adopt and scale the Fafunwa Model across the country, investing in curricula, textbooks, and teacher training in our major indigenous languages.
Guarantee that for the first six years of primary education, students are taught in their mother tongue (or in the language of their immediate environment), while English is delivered as a separate, specialist-taught subject.
Our children deserve an education that empowers them to understand deeply, to think clearly, and to speak confidently. They deserve a foundation rooted in their own linguistic and cultural realities.

Let us honour the vision and legacy of Professor Fafunwa. Let us invest in the future of every Nigerian child. Let us choose a path that strengthens both our culture and our educational system.

Respectfully submitted,

Mr. Osezua Stephen-Imobhio
Founder, African Indigenous Language Film Festival (AILFF)